Installed September 18, 1999 Denomination Greek Orthodox Term ended Incumbent Name Archbishop of | Birth name Demetrios Trakatellis Education Harvard University Nationality Greek Consecration September 17, 1967 | |
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Born February 1, 1928 (age 96)
Thessaloniki, Greece ( 1928-02-01 ) Residence New York, New York, USA Predecessor Archbishop Spyridon of America Books Growing in the Knowledge of Christ | ||
Clergy laity 2012 sermon delivered by archbishop demetrios of america
Elder Archbishop Demetrios of America (born Demetrios Trakatellis; Greek: Δημήτριος Τρακατέλλης) is the current elder archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and Exarch of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
Contents
- Clergy laity 2012 sermon delivered by archbishop demetrios of america
- 2010 christmas message from his eminence archbishop demetrios of america
- Biography
- Academy and Holy Synod
- Writings
- Family
- References
2010 christmas message from his eminence archbishop demetrios of america
Biography
Demetrios was born in Thessaloniki, Greece on February 1, 1928 to Georgia and Christos Trakatellis. He attended the School of Theology at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, graduating with distinction in 1950. He became a deacon in 1960 and was ordained as a priest in 1964. He moved to the United States in 1965, attending the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and obtaining his PhD in 1972. He later returned to the University of Athens, obtaining his Doctor of Theology degree in 1977. He served as auxiliary bishop to the Archbishop of Athens from 1967, and in 1968 declined to serve as metropolitan bishop of Attika and Megaris due to the political upheaval then taking place in Greece.
He was Distinguished Professor of Biblical Studies and Christian Origins at Hellenic College Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology in Brookline, Massachusetts, from 1983 to 1993, and was a visiting professor at Harvard Divinity School in 1984–85 and 1988–89. He returned to Greece in 1993 to serve at the Archdiocese of Athens.
On September 18, 1999, Elder Archbishop Demetrios was enthroned at the Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity as Primate of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. The cathedral on New York City's Upper East Side serves as the national cathedral of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and is the seat of the Archbishop.
On November 26, 2015, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America announced the elevation of the archdiocese to the rank of Gerontiki Eparchy (meaning an eparchy headed by a Geron/Elder hierarch) of the Ecumenical Throne in the person of His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America, who will henceforth be titled His Eminence Geron Archbishop Demetrios of America.
Academy and Holy Synod
Demetrios was elected as a member of the Academy of Athens in November 2002 and was inducted on November 14, 2003. He was elected to the Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate on February 19, 2004.
Archbishop Demetrios delivered invocations at the Democratic National Convention on August 27, 2008 and the Republican National Convention on September 4, 2008. He also delivered the benediction at the Presidential Inaugural Luncheon on January 21, 2013.
Writings
Demetrios is the author of six books as well as hundreds of articles and essays published in various periodicals.
Family
His brother, Antonios Trakatellis, is a New Democracy MEP for Greece.